THE ART OF THE ICE AGE - EXPLORING THE DEEPER HISTORY OF ART

ICE AGE SCULPTURE: DOLNÍ VESTONICE LION HEAD

Lion Head

Pavlovian/Gravettian. 25,000-29,000 years old

Made from baked clay the snout, ears and eyes of this lion are carefully modelled. Whether it is a lion or lioness cannot be determined because, as paintings in Chauvet Cave show, Ice Age lions did not have manes. On one side of the head there are holes in the eye and above the ear which might represent wounds.